Communication device and echo cancellation method

Abstract

A communication device is disclosed. The communication device includes a transceiver circuit, an echo canceler, and a processor. The transceiver circuit is configured to transmit a test signal to a channel. The echo canceler is configured to obtain a plurality of echo power of a reflected signal corresponding to the test signal. The processor is configured to obtain a plurality of positions on the channel according to a parameter value. The parameter value is N, a number of the plurality of positions is N, and the plurality of positions corresponds to the top N largest of the plurality of echo power. The echo canceler is further configured to eliminate part of the plurality of echo power corresponding to the plurality of positions according to the plurality of positions.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication device, comprising:
 a transceiver circuit, configured to transmit a test signal to a channel; 
 an echo canceler, configured to obtain a plurality of echo power of a reflected signal corresponding to the test signal; and 
 a processor, configured to determine a parameter value to be N, and to obtain a plurality of positions of the top N largest of the plurality of echo power on the channel according to the parameter value, a number of the plurality of positions is N; 
 wherein the echo canceler is further configured to eliminate part of the plurality of echo power corresponding to the plurality of positions according to the plurality of positions; 
 wherein the processor is configured to obtain a first position of the plurality of positions during a first time period, wherein the first position corresponds to a first largest echo power, and the first largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the first time period, wherein the echo canceler is further configured to eliminate the first largest echo power according to the first position; 
 wherein when the first largest echo power is eliminated, the processor obtains a second position of the plurality of positions during a second time period, wherein the second position corresponds to a second largest echo power, the second largest echo power is a largest one of the plurality of echo power during the second time period, wherein the echo canceler is further configured to eliminate the second largest echo power according to the second position; 
 wherein after the echo canceler eliminates the second largest echo power, if a signal to noise ratio of the channel is larger than a changing value threshold, the processor is further configured to obtain a third position during a third time period, wherein the third position corresponds to a third largest echo power, and the third largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the third time period. 
 
     
     
       2. The communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to search from a first end of the channel to a second end of the channel. 
     
     
       3. The communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to set the parameter value, wherein the parameter value is equal to a sum of an endpoint number of the channel and a connection point number of the channel. 
     
     
       4. The communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to record the plurality of positions. 
     
     
       5. The communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of positions are different from each other. 
     
     
       6. A communication device, comprising:
 a transceiver circuit, configured to transmit a test signal to a channel; 
 an echo canceler, configured to obtain a plurality of echo power of a reflected signal corresponding to the test signal; and 
 a processor, configured to obtain a first position during a first time period, wherein the first position corresponds to a first largest echo power, and the first largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power of the first time period, and after the echo canceler eliminates the first largest echo power according to the first position, the processor is configured to obtain a second position during a second time period, wherein the second position corresponds to a second largest echo power, and the second largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the second time period, and the second largest echo power is eliminated by the echo canceler; 
 wherein after the echo canceler eliminates the second largest echo power, if a signal to noise ratio of the channel is larger than a changing value threshold, the processor is further configured to obtain a third position during a third time period, wherein the third position corresponds to a third largest echo power, and the third largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the third time period. 
 
     
     
       7. The communication device of  claim 6 , wherein after the echo canceler eliminates the second largest echo power, if the signal to noise ratio of the channel is not larger than the changing value threshold, the processor is further configured to not to obtain the third position. 
     
     
       8. The communication device of  claim 6 , wherein the first position, the second position and the third position are different from each other. 
     
     
       9. An echo cancellation method, suitable for a communication device, comprising:
 transmitting a test signal to a channel coupled to the communication device by a transceiver circuit; 
 obtaining a plurality of echo power (Tap) of a reflected signal corresponding to the test signal from the channel by an echo canceler; 
 obtaining a first position corresponding to a first largest echo power during a first time period by a processor, wherein the first largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the first time period; 
 eliminating the first largest echo power according to the first position by the echo canceler; 
 obtaining a second position corresponding to a second largest echo power during a second time period by the processor, wherein the second largest echo power is the largest one of the plurality of echo power during the second time period; 
 eliminating the second largest echo power according to the second position by the echo canceler; 
 determining whether a signal to noise ratio changing value of the channel is larger than a changing value threshold after eliminating the second largest echo power; and 
 obtaining a third position corresponding to a third largest echo power during a third time period if the signal to noise ratio changing value is larger than the changing value threshold, wherein the third largest echo power is the largest one of a plurality of echo power of the channel during the third time period. 
 
     
     
       10. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , comprising:
 setting a parameter value, wherein the parameter value is N; and 
 obtaining the first position to a N-th position of the channel by the processor, wherein the first position to the N-th position respectively corresponds to the largest one of the plurality of echo power of the first time period to a N-th time period. 
 
     
     
       11. The echo cancellation method of  claim 10 , wherein the parameter value is equal to a sum of an endpoint number of the channel and a connection point number of the channel. 
     
     
       12. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , comprising:
 recording the first position and the second position. 
 
     
     
       13. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , wherein the second position is different from the first position. 
     
     
       14. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 not obtaining the third position if the signal to noise ratio changing value is not larger than the changing value threshold. 
 
     
     
       15. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , wherein detecting a first position corresponding to a first largest echo power further comprising:
 searching from a first end of the channel to a second end of the channel. 
 
     
     
       16. The echo cancellation method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 determining whether the second position is the same as the first position or not; and 
 re-detecting to obtain the second position different from the first position when the second position is the same as the first position.